For the Knicks, the list is an impressive one. Just take a gander at the free-agent names that New York has supposedly shown “interest” in over the past few days:

Tony Allen

Nate Robinson

Monta Ellis

Jose Calderon

Aaron Brooks

Matt Barnes

Carlos Delfino

Francisco Garcia

Brandan Wright

This list does not include J.R. Smith and Chris Copeland, the two higher-end free agents the Knicks are already bracing to lose or the two lower-end guys—Kenyon Martin and Pablo Prigioni—whose futures they have yet to figure out. Truth is, the Knicks are not sure they can afford to do much more than re-sign Martin and Prigioni.

As a tax-payer, the Knicks only have available the mini-midlevel, a contract that starts at $3.183 million and can run no longer than three years. Take a peek at the list of names above and ask yourself this: Who among them would actually accept a three-year deal that comes in just south of $10 million? Maybe Garcia. Maybe Wright. Maybe Delfino if he is eager to close out his career in New York. But that’s it. And those are “maybes.”

That the Knicks were connected to Ellis is perhaps the most hilarious bit of news of all. He just opted out of the final year of a contract that would pay him $11 million … to take three years and $10 million? Nope.

That leads to the other pertinent issue, the potential for a sign-and-trade. Which leads to the other reality of the Knicks’ situation, which is that they don’t have assets on the roster other teams want. All the Knicks will be able to do this offseason is divvy up $3.183 million among whatever takers they can find, and look for veteran minimum players.

When the Knicks decided to kick off free agency by trading away Marcus Camby and Steve Novak to get Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani—a much-maligned trade in many circles—few acknowledged that New York simply didn’t have many options. Bargnani has played terribly over the past two seasons, but he is only 28 and if he can get healthy and in shape, he can be a productive scorer.

Considering how much scoring the Knicks will lose this summer, and how little money they have to replace that scoring, a big gamble on a Bargnani revival probably is the best they could do. Beyond that, they will have to take a shot or two on overlooked veterans.

It worked out fairly well for them over the past year-plus, when they lucked into the signings of Smith and Martin, and shrewdly plucked Prigioni from Europe. That’s the best they can hope for.